Outdoors work in the Far East

WORK/PROJECT: SEEDS volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in this project in the east of Iceland. The project takes place in a fjord, called Hamarsfjörður and volunteers will be working in the surrounding area. The surroundings are beautiful, high mountains all around and deep valleys.

Our hosts are a family that have taken up a former farm in the fjord and are trying to develop new working and employment opportunities in the area; they live and work there running diverse facilities and offering services for visitors.

The main tasks will be planting and cutting trees, cleaning and beautifying the area, tearing down old fences and possibly putting up some new ones. The work schedule will be flexible and it will depend on the needs of our hosts as well as the weather conditions. The tasks are going to be physical and may be demanding.

Weather conditions in Iceland are unpredictable, so be prepared to experience all kinds of weather and be sure to bring warm clothing since most of the work will take place outdoors. Even if it is May, it can be cold, windy and/or rainy.

ACCOMMODATION: SEEDS volunteers will be hosted in a local summer house. Volunteers will either sleep on mattresses or in beds. Please bring your own sleeping bag.

The house is equipped with a kitchen. Volunteers will receive food ingredients and be in charge of cooking and cleaning.  

Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.

LOCATION: The closest town to Hamarsfjörður is Djúpivogur, which is a charming village with a long history of trading located in Djúpavogshreppur. It is the southernmost fjord of the east fjords of Iceland.

Near the coast of Djúpivogur there is an island called Papey. The island was inhabited since the settlement of Iceland until the year 1966. There is still a lighthouse, a dwelling house, a church and a weather station on the island, the latter has been automatised since 1998. There are also large colonies of Atlantic puffins on the island. Papey is the largest island off the east coast of Iceland, about 2 km² in area, and can be visited by a boat from Djúpivogur.

The East Fjords cover a 120 km stretch of eastern Iceland’s twisted coastline between Borgarfjörður Eystri in the north and southern Berufjörður, with small villages mostly given over to fishing, spread along many of the fjords – none of which are particularly large.

The area of this project is very diverse and beautiful. The nature has many things to offer and there are plenty of opportunities to go hiking. The view is spectacular and there is the biggest national park in Europe with the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull, not far away.  

LANGUAGE: English will be the spoken language in the camp; basic conversational skills are needed.

TERMINAL: Closest international Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF).

SEEDS organises the “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and vice-versa. This is a cheap, convenient way to travel and it allows volunteers to meet fellow campers.

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee is EUR 150 (Euros).  

Please note that these fees are to be paid to SEEDS on arrival in either Euros or Icelandic kronas and do not include the transportation to the project and back.

Volunteers have to bring good working shoes and clothes, even though summer is coming, it might still be cold and hats and gloves might be necessary. Weather is unpredictable and it can be cold or rainy.

Our host will organise some free time activities for SEEDS volunteers, like a day trip, excursions in the area and a barbeque.